Device for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip

ABSTRACT

A device for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing up a conveyor, in which a tray is loosely mounted above the conveyor for front to back rocking movement and for movement towards and away from the conveyor. An L-shaped blocking member is pivotally mounted at the front of the tray and has a blocking portion normally hanging in the path of the advancing sod. When the sod hits the blocking portion, the blocking member pivots upwardly to a limited extent against a spring bias, turning the end of the sod strip and permitting the turned end to pass thereunder while holding the turned end tight. The turned end then passes under the remainder of the tray, rolling as it progresses. The tray rises at this time to allow the turned end passage. Rolling of the sod is then completed by conventional rolling means. The device will also start a turn in the end of a sod strip lying on the ground.

United States; Patent 1191 Brouwer Feb. 5, 1974 DEVICE FOR STARTING A TURN IN THE END OF A son STRIP Gerardus Johannes Brouwer, Keswick, Ontario, Canada [75] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Brouwer Turf Equipment Limited,

'Keswick, Ontario, Canada [22] Filed: Feb. 8, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 330,489

[52] US. Cl. 242/55, 242/67.1 R

[51] Int. Cl B65h 75/02, B65h 17/02 [58] Field of Search 242/55, 67.1 R, DIG. 3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,464,641 9/1969 Brouwer 242/55 3,315,908 4/1967 Wetzlcr 242/67.l R 3,314,627 4/1967 Wetzler.; 242/67.l R

Primary Examiner-John W. l-luckert Assistant Examiner-Edward J. McCarthy Attorney, Agent, or FirmRogers, Bereskin' & Parr [57] ABSTRACT A device for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing up a conveyor, in which a tray is loosely mounted above the conveyor for front to back rocking movement and for movement towards and away from the conveyor. An L-shaped blocking member is pivotally mounted at the front of the tray and has a blocking portion normally hanging in the-path of the advancing sod. When the sod hits the blocking portion, the blocking member pivots upwardly to a limited extent against a spring bias, turning the end of the sod strip and permitting the turned end to pass thereunder while holding the turned end tight. The turned end then passes under the remainder of the tray, rolling as it progresses. The tray rises at this time to allow the turned end passage. Rolling of the sod is then completed by conventional rolling means. The device will also start a turn in the end of a sod strip lying on the ground. 1 1

10 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDFEB saw 3.790.096

- SHEEI10F3 DEVICE FOR STARTING A TURN IN THE END OF .A SOD STRIP camming portion slanting forwardly and upwardly fromthe conveyor. When the front end of a sod strip'struck this front camming portion, the sodwas tumed back on itself, thus forming an initial turn in'the front end of the sod strip. The rolled end of the sod strip then forced its way under the tray, rolling as it progressed, with the tray rising to allow passage of the sod strip. This imparted several turns to the end of the sod strip, and other mechanism-was then used to complete the rolling of the strip.

The mechanism disclosed in my above mentioned pa- I tent operated to turn the end of a sod strip under most conditions, but occasionally conditions were encountered (for example when the sod was excessively stiff orheavy) in which the mechanism would fail-to turn the end of the sod' strip. When this occurred, the operator was required to stop the sod harvester of which the sod rolling apparatus formed a part, roll the unturned sod by hand, and clear it from the roll-up apparatus. This operation, although required infrequently, consumed valuable time and interrupted 'the pace of the harvesting operation. Since optimum weather and other conditions for harvesting do not occur reliably, any interruptions during harvesting are undesirable. In addition, the mechanism shown in my said US. patent would not start a turn in the end of a cut sod strip lying on the ground.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement to the apparatus disclosed in my FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the blocking member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the tray and blocking member of FIG. 1; f I

FIGS. 5 and 6 are side views similar to FIG. 4 showing the progress of a sod strip through the apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a side view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the tray and blocking member mounted to turn the end of a sod strip lying on the ground; and

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic side view showing the blocking member of FIG. 7 during operation.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows a preferred embodiment of the invention. In the FIG. 1 arrangement it is assumed that the cut strip of sod whose end is to be turned travels in the direction of arrow A along a conventional wire conveyor mesh 2. The conveyor mesh 2 is supported on rollers 4 mounted between'side frame members 6.

The conveyor will usually be inclined upwardly at an angle (e.g. 20-30) andvwill typically be part of a sod cutting machine such as that described in US. Pat. No. 3,509,944 issued on May 5, 1970 to myself. In such sod cutting machine, sod is cut into strips of discrete lengths and is fed onto an upwardly sloping conveyor as the machine travels'forwardly. Normally the speed of the conveyor will be slightly faster. than the speed of forward travelof the machine, so that the ends of adjacent sod strips advancing up the conveyor will be spaced apart. i 5

Supported just above the conveyor is a tray 8 similar to that described in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,641. The tray 8 is formed by a pair of side members 10, with a number of spaced lowercross-members 12 extending between and welded to the bottomsof the sidemembers 10. The lower cross-members 12 are oriented at right angles to the direction of travel of the conveyor 7 and, since they are positioned below the side members above-mentioned U.S. patenLfor more positively turning theend of a cut sod strip. According to the 'invention this is accomplished by adding an additional blocking member to a tray of the kind disclosed in my said US. patent. The blocking member is mounted at'the front of the tray and has a blocking surface which nor- -mally hangs in the path of the sod strip to .be rolled.

When the sod strikes the blocking member, the block ing member pivots rearwardly, turning the end of the sod strip and allowing the turned end to pass under the tray which then rises as previously discussed. Preferably, to facilitate rolling the turned end of the sod, the

tray includes means located immediately rearwardly of the blocking member to catch the upper surface of the turned end, to reduce slippage and improve the rolling.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a conveyor including apparatus according to the invention for turning the end of a sod strip;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a portion of the tray and blocking member of FIG. 1;

10, their bottoms and front edges will engage sod travelling beneath the tray 8. Typically the lower crossmembers 12 are formed of one-quarter or one-half inch square section bar and are spaced between two and three inches apart. The open construction of the tray minimizes the likelihood that it will clog with dirt. (If desired, laterally spaced longitudinally extending members can be secured-to the tops of the cross-members 12 to prevent the turned end of the'sod from protruding up between the cross-members 12.) At the front of the tray 8 is located the blocking member 14 of the invention, to be described presently. I

At the front of the tray 8 there is provided a cross shaft 16. The shaft 16 extends betweenqthe side members 10, being welded thereto, and extends beyond the side members 10 to form a pair of stub shafts 18 (see also FIG. 2). The stub shafts l8 pivotally extend through bushings 20 mounted at the forward ends of a pair of links 22. The links 22, one on each side of the tray 8, extend rearwardly from the stub shafts 18 and are pivotally connected at 24 to upstanding members 26 mounted on the side frame members 6. The upstandingmembers 26 support a cross-member 28 spanning the conveyor. From the cross-member 28, a heavy chain 30 extends downwardly and is connected to a hook 31 on the rear lower cross-member 12, to support the rear end of the tray 8.

The result of this arrangement is that the tray 8 is held fairly rigidly against sideways movement relative to the conveyor, but the tray is permitted to move upwardly away from and downwardly toward the conveyor. In its rest position, when no sod is present, the tray 8 is held just above the conveyor mesh 2 by the chain 30 and by height adjusting bolts 32 on which the links 22 rest. The mounting for the tray is essentially the same as that shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,641 (except that in such patent, the links 22 extend forwardly).

The blocking member 14, also shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is generally L-shaped as viewed from the side, having a first or blocking portion 33 which extends downwardly toward the conveyor, and a second or support portion 34 which extends forwardly at right angles from the blocking portion 33. The support portion 34 is typically formed from square cross-section bar (for example one-quarter or one-half inch square bar) formed in a U-shape, with forwardly projecting legs 36 and a rear cross-member 38. Thelegs 36 are connected together forwardly of the rear cross-member 38 by small diameter cross rods 39 to prevent the turned end of a sod strip from rising through the blocking member, as will be explained. 1

The blocking portion 33 is typically formed by a small diameter cross rod 40 spaced below the rear cross-member 38 and a number of laterally spaced generally vertical rods 42 connecting the rod 40 to the cross-member 38. This construction results in an open framework on which dirt is unlikely to accumulate. The blocking member 14 is pivotally connected to the tray 8 by a pair of pivot-shafts 44 which extend outwardly from the sides of the blocking member legs 36, near the fronts of the legs. The pivot shafts 44 are received in bushings diagrammatically indicated at 46 (FIG. 2) welded to the fronts of the side members of the tray 8.

Since the pivots 44 for the blocking member 14 are located at the front ofth e blocking member, the blocking portion 33 of the blocking member will normally tend to pivot in the direction of arrow B (FIG. 4), i.e., to hang downwardly, biased by the weight of the blocking member. This bias is adequate under most circumstances, but to improve the operation, additional bias is preferably provided by a long coil spring 48. The coil spring 48 is connected to an upstanding post 50 on the rear cross-member 38 of the blocking member, and extends rearwardly to the hook 30, to which it is secured.

To position the blocking member 14 correctly, a pair of stops 51 are provided, one mounted on each leg 36 of the support portion 34. Each stop 51 is simply an L- shaped member welded to the upper surface of its associated leg 36 and extending upwardly and then outwardly from such leg, over the upper surface of the adjacent side member 10 of the tray. Since the stops 51 are located rearwardly of the pivots 44 but forwardly of the blocking portion 33, they limit the extent to which the blocking member can pivot downwardly in the direction of arrow B, and they also allow limited pivoting of the blocking member upwardly in the direction of arrow C.

In the normal or rest position of the apparatus, as best shown in FIG. 4, the bottom surfaces of thetray lower cross-members 12 are typically located at 1% inches above the surface of the conveyor mesh 2. The bottom edge of the blocking portion cross rod 40 is typically located one-quarter inch (or slightly less) above the surface of the conveyor mesh 2. The blocking member is able to pivot upwardly in the direction of arrow C to a position in which the bottom edge of the cross rod 40 projects only one-eighth inch below the side members 10 of the tray and is hence located above the bottom surfaces of the tray lower cross-members 12. Further pivoting of the blocking member 14 in the direction of arrow C is prevented by abutment of the bottom forward edges of the stop 51 against the top surfaces of the tray side members 10, as shown in FIG. 5.

The operation of the apparatus described is as follows. When the front end of a sod strip 52 (FIG. 5) travelling up the conveyor strikes the blocking member 14, the blocking member 14 pivots in the direction of arrow C. The pivoting is resisted by the weight of the blocking member and also by biasing spring 48. As the blocking member 14 pivots, it causes a turn 54 to be formed at the front end of the sod strip. Upward movement of the turned end 54 above the blocking member 14 is prevented by the cross-rods 39. The initial orientation of the blocking portion 33 at right angles to the path of travel of the sod strip, combined with the pressure required to pivot the blocking member, ensures that the end of the sod strip will be positively turned, while the upward pivoting of the blocking member then allows the turned end 54 to continue in the direction of arrow A past the blocking member, as shown in FIG. 5. Because the extent to which the blocking member 14 can pivot in the direction of arrow C is limited by stops 51, the turn 54 is held tightly while the next portion of the sod strip 52 passes thereunder, thus ensuring a tight initial turn in the end of the sod strip.

As the sod strip continues to advance up the conveyor, the front end of the tray 8 is forced upwardly (this is permitted by the links 22) and the turned end 54 is carried under the tray, rolling as it progresses (as described in my U.S..Pat. No. 3,464,641). As soon as the rolled end 54 passes beyond the blocking member 14, the blocking member pivots in the direction of arrow B towards its initial position, as shown in FIG. 6. The rolled end of the sod strip continues to progress under the tray, lifting the back end of the tray. The weight of the tray helps to hold the rolled end of the sod strip in a tight condition. Eventually the sod strip, with several turns formed in its end, passes out from beneath the tray 8. The rolling of the sod strip is then completed by known means such as a powered roll-up conveyor, as described in my US. Pat. No. 3,464,641.

When the turned end 54 of the sod strip is carried rearwardly past the blocking member 14, it is desirable that the upper surface of the turned end 54 catch on the cross-members 12 and be slowed,'so that the bottom of the turn will move rearwardly faster than the top so that rolling will occur. When the initially turned end 54 emerges from the blocking member 14, its diameter is small and it can in some cases slip past the front cross-member 12. To prevent such slippage, the front lower cross-member 12 is provided with a number of thin metal pins 56. The pins 56, which are typically one-eighth inch diameter metal rod, project downwardly a short distance (typically one-quarter to onehalf inch) below the surface of the front lower crossmember 12 and engage the upper surface of the turned end passing below them, thus preventing slippage of the turned end past the front cross-member 12.

Although stops 51 have been shown as limiting pivoting of the blocking member 14 in the direction of arrows B and C, they may if desired be rearranged to limit only pivoting in the direction of arrow B in cases where the coil spring 48 is used. This is because the coil spring 48, if sufficiently stiff, will adequately limit upward pivoting of blocking member 14. In this event, the stops 51 may be replaced by a single stop indicated in dotted lines at 58 inFIGS. 3 and 4 and extending rearwardly from the U-shaped bar 36. The stop 58 rests on a post 60 (FIG. 4) extending upwardly from the front crossmember 12 and limits pivoting of the blocking member 14 in the direction of arrow B. (If the bias means for the blocking member 14 are constituted simply by a weight, then the stops 51 will still be used in place of the stop 58.)

Although the turn-starting mechanism of the invention has been shown for use with cut sod travelling along a conveyor, the mechanism will also operate to turn the end of cut sod lying on the ground. Such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 7, where primed reference numerals indicate parts corresponding to those of FIGS. 1 to 6. In the FIG. 7 embodiment the tray 8 and blocking member 14' are identical with those of FIGS. 1 to 6. The only difference in FIG. 7 is that the side frame members 6 have been raised abovethe tray 8;

the links 22' have been shown as extending forwardly.

instead of rearwardly; and the front of the tray 8' is supported by stops62 secured to the links 22 and extending upwardly to hook at 64 over the side frame membets 6'. I

. The side frame members 6 form a part of a larger frame (not shown) that is carried forwardly in the direction of arrow D for rolling operations and which can be raised for travel without interference with the groundFor rolling operations the frame is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 7, in which the blocking portion 33 of the blocking member 14 is below the upper surface of sod strip 52' lying on the ground and catches the end 66 of the strip 52'. As-the mechanism progresses in the direction 'of arrow D, the end 66 is turned as previously described; s veral turns are then imparted tothe strip as the tray 8' passes over the turned end, and the rolling is then finished by conventional means such as a powered rollup elevator of the kind shown in my said US. Pat. No. 3,464,641.

When the sod strips to be rolled lie onthe ground, the ends of adjacent sod strips are spaced closely together. For example, the end 70 of the sod strip 72 (FIG. 7) next to the sod strip 52 is spaced from the end of sod strip 52 only by a cut 74 In some cases the adjacent ends may touch. Under these circumstances, so long as the sod strip is long enough, the tray 8 will be carried in the direction of arrow D past the rolled end 54' of sod strip 52and the tray 8 will return to a position in which the blocking member 14' rides in a tilted condition (FIG. 8) along the top of sod strip 52' before it encounters the end 70 of the nextstrip 72. Then,'when the blocking member 14 passes over the cut 74 between the two strips of sod, the pressure of spring 48' will force the blocking portion 33 downwardly into the cut, thus turning the end of the strip 72.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing from a forward position toward a rearward position relative to said apparatus, said apparatus comprising:

a. an elongated tray having a front portion and a rear portion b. first mounting means for supporting said tray adjacent and above said sod strip for movement upwardly away from and downwardly toward said strip, and for front to back rocking of said tray relative to said strip, said mounting means including means bearing against said tray adjacent said front portion to constrain said front portion againt sideto-side movement, I

. said tray having a sod engaging lower surface for engaging said sod, said lower surface having a plurality of enlarged openings therein to prevent clogging and smoothing of said lower surface by dirt from said sod,

the improvement comprising:

d. a blocking member having a blocking portion e. front mounting means pivotally supporting said blocking member from said front portion of said tray for movement between a first position and a second position, said first position being one in which at least a part of .said blocking portion projects below the bottom of said tray and is oriented substantially at right angles to said sod strip, the bottom edge of said blocking portion being located in the path of and 0nd position being one in which said blocking member is pivoted rearwardly from said first position so that said bottom edge is displaced upwardly from its location' in said first position and so that wardly from said bottom edge, 7

v g. and bias means normally biasing said blocking 7 member to said first position, so that when said end of said sod strip strikes said blocking portion, said blocking member pivots from said first to said second position and forms a turn in the end of said sod strip, said blocking member when in said second position allowing said turned end to pass thereunder while holding said turned end in a tightly rolled condition as it passes there-under, said first mounting means permitting said tray to rise thus allowing said turned end to pass under said .tray.

2. The invention according to claim. 1 wherein said trayincludes a plurality of lower cross-members extending across said path of travel and located rearwardly of said blocking member, the forwardmost one of said lower cross-members being located adjacent said blocking member, said one cross-member having a plurality of pins extending downwardly therefrom to catch the upper surface of. said turned end as said turned end passes thereunder.

3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said bias means includes a coil spring coupled between the rear of said tray and said blocking member.

4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position and to'limit pivoting of said blocking member in theopposite direction.

5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper below the upper surface of said sod strip, said secsaid blocking portion slopes upwardly and forpart of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and stop means carried by said blocking member and cooperating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position, said bias means including means for limiting pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction, said first portion having a plurality of openings therein to minimize dirt collection on said first portion.

6. In apparatus for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing from a forward position toward a rearward position along a conveyor, said apparatus comprising:

a. support means for said conveyor,

b. an elongated tray having a front portion and a rear portion,

0. first mounting means supporting said tray adjacent and above said conveyor for movement upwardly away from and downwardly toward said conveyor, and for front to back rocking of said tray relative to said conveyor, said mounting means including means connected to said conveyor support means and bearing against said tray adjacent said front portion to constrain said front portion against sideto-side movement, 9

(1. said tray having a sod engaging lower surface for engaging said sod, said lower surface having a plurality of enlarged openings therein to prevent clogging and smoothing of said lower surface by dirt from said sod,

the improvement comprising:

e. a blocking member having a blocking portion,

f. front mounting means pivotally supporting said blocking member from said front portion of said tray for movement between a first position and a second position,

g. said first position being one in which at least a part of said blocking portion projects below the bottom of said tray a'ndis oriented substantially at right angles to said conveyor, the bottom edge of said blocking portion being located in the path ofa said sod strip advancing up said conveyor and below the upper surface of such strip, said second position being one in which said blocking member is pivoted rearwardly from said first position so that said bottom edge is displaced upwardly from said conveyor and said blocking portion slopes upwardly and forwardly from said bottom edge, h. and bias means normally biasing said blocking member to said first position, so that when said end of said sod strip strikes said blocking portion, said blocking member pivots from said first to said second position and forms a turn in the end of said sod strip, said blocking member when in said second position allowing said turned end to pass thereunder while holding said turned end in a tightly rolled condition as it passes thereunder, said first mounting means permitting said tray to rise thus allowing said turned end to pass under said tray.

7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said tray includes a plurality of lower cross-members extending across said path of travel and located rearwardly of said blocking member, the forwardmost one of said lower cross-members being located adjacent said blocking member, said one cross-member having a plurality of pins extending downwardly therefrom to catch the upper surface of said turned end as said turned end passes thereunder.

8. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said bias means includes a coil spring coupled between the rear of said tray and said blocking member.

9. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position and to limit pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction.

10. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and stop means carried by said blocking member and cooperating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position, said bias means including means for limiting pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction, said first portion having a plurality of openings therein to minimize dirt collection on said first portion. 

1. In apparatus for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing from a forward position toward a rearward position relative to said apparatus, said apparatus comprising: a. an elongated tray having a front portion and a rear portion, b. first mounting means for supporting said tray adjacent and above said sod strip for movement upwardly away from and downwardly toward said strip, and for front to back rocking of said tray relative to said strip, said mounting means including means bearing against said tray adjacent said front portion to constrain said front portion againt side-to-side movement, c. said tray having a sod engaging lower surface for engaging said sod, said lower surface having a plurality of enlarged openings therein to prevent clogging and smoothing of said lower surface by dirt from said sod, the improvement comprising: d. a blocking member having a blocking portion e. front mounting means pivotally supporting said blocking member from said front portion of said tray for movement between a first position and a second position, f. said first position being one in which at least a part of said blocking portion projects below the bottom of said tray and is oriented substantially at right angles to said sod strip, the bottom edge of said blocking portion being located in the path of and below the upper surface of said sod strip, said second position being one in which said blocking member is pivoted rearwardly from said first position so that said botTom edge is displaced upwardly from its location in said first position and so that said blocking portion slopes upwardly and forwardly from said bottom edge, g. and bias means normally biasing said blocking member to said first position, so that when said end of said sod strip strikes said blocking portion, said blocking member pivots from said first to said second position and forms a turn in the end of said sod strip, said blocking member when in said second position allowing said turned end to pass thereunder while holding said turned end in a tightly rolled condition as it passes there-under, said first mounting means permitting said tray to rise thus allowing said turned end to pass under said tray.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said tray includes a plurality of lower cross-members extending across said path of travel and located rearwardly of said blocking member, the forwardmost one of said lower cross-members being located adjacent said blocking member, said one cross-member having a plurality of pins extending downwardly therefrom to catch the upper surface of said turned end as said turned end passes thereunder.
 3. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said bias means includes a coil spring coupled between the rear of said tray and said blocking member.
 4. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position and to limit pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction.
 5. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and stop means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position, said bias means including means for limiting pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction, said first portion having a plurality of openings therein to minimize dirt collection on said first portion.
 6. In apparatus for starting a turn in the end of a sod strip advancing from a forward position toward a rearward position along a conveyor, said apparatus comprising: a. support means for said conveyor, b. an elongated tray having a front portion and a rear portion, c. first mounting means supporting said tray adjacent and above said conveyor for movement upwardly away from and downwardly toward said conveyor, and for front to back rocking of said tray relative to said conveyor, said mounting means including means connected to said conveyor support means and bearing against said tray adjacent said front portion to constrain said front portion against side-to-side movement, d. said tray having a sod engaging lower surface for engaging said sod, said lower surface having a plurality of enlarged openings therein to prevent clogging and smoothing of said lower surface by dirt from said sod, the improvement comprising: e. a blocking member having a blocking portion, f. front mounting means pivotally supporting said blocking member from said front portion of said tray for movement between a first position and a second position, g. said first position being one in which at least a part of said blocking portion projects below the bottom of said tray and is oriented substantially at right angles to said conveyor, the bottom edge of said blocking portion being located in the path of a said sod strip advancing up said conveyor and below the uPper surface of such strip, said second position being one in which said blocking member is pivoted rearwardly from said first position so that said bottom edge is displaced upwardly from said conveyor and said blocking portion slopes upwardly and forwardly from said bottom edge, h. and bias means normally biasing said blocking member to said first position, so that when said end of said sod strip strikes said blocking portion, said blocking member pivots from said first to said second position and forms a turn in the end of said sod strip, said blocking member when in said second position allowing said turned end to pass thereunder while holding said turned end in a tightly rolled condition as it passes thereunder, said first mounting means permitting said tray to rise thus allowing said turned end to pass under said tray.
 7. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said tray includes a plurality of lower cross-members extending across said path of travel and located rearwardly of said blocking member, the forwardmost one of said lower cross-members being located adjacent said blocking member, said one cross-member having a plurality of pins extending downwardly therefrom to catch the upper surface of said turned end as said turned end passes thereunder.
 8. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said bias means includes a coil spring coupled between the rear of said tray and said blocking member.
 9. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position and to limit pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction.
 10. The invention according to claim 6 wherein said blocking member is substantially L-shaped, having a support portion extending forwardly from the upper part of said first portion and at right angles to said first portion, said second mounting means being connected to the forward part of said support portion, and stop means carried by said blocking member and co-operating with said tray to prevent downward pivoting of said blocking member beyond said first position, said bias means including means for limiting pivoting of said blocking member in the opposite direction, said first portion having a plurality of openings therein to minimize dirt collection on said first portion. 